13 Things I Stopped Buying To Save Money
Do you struggle to get your monthly bills down?
For many of us it’s not so much the big expenses that really drag our finances down, it’s the little things that add up to a whole lot.
If you look at your weekly spending on food, household items and little extras and feel horrified, then you’re in the right place!
I’m going to share the 13 things you can stop spending money on right now!
To be totally upfront, some of these items involve some investment up front in order to be able to ditch the monthly cost.
However for a little financial pain in the short term, you have a whole lot to gain in the longer term when it comes to your monthly spending.
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1. Tampons and sanitary pads
One of my greatest discoveries in the last few years has been reusable menstrual cups and period pants.
I was totally sceptical at first. I did not believe these products could possibly be convenient, or easy to use!
And I’ll be honest, the menstrual cup takes a lot of getting used to. Getting it into place is a lot tougher than inserting a tampon.
However once you get the knack, you will never go back!
I now use my menstrual cup – and I favour this one in case you’re wondering – on my heaviest flow days and use my period pants from ModiBodi overnight and on lighter flow days.
What’s great about the menstrual cup is that I get hardly any leaks compared to tampons. If you’re worried about leaks happening at an awkward time, then you can pop a pair of period pants on just in case.
You clean the menstrual cup regularly by boiling it to sterilise and the period pants can be simply put in the wash.
What I really love about the period pants is that they don’t leak like pads do. I’ve often found sanitary pads slip and move in the night when I fidget around. Not period pants where the pads are built in to the underwear.
Not only will this investment save you money on tampons and sanitary pads, but it’s way better for the environment!
3. Expensive beauty products
There’s a new miracle product every day according to the beauty industry. The truth is it’s not particularly likely a high end moisturiser will totally change your life.
My rule is I only buy a new beauty product when I’ve run out, so I need to replace it. This has the added benefit of meaning I don’t have a cluttered makeup cart filled with moisturisers and creams.
3. Bottled water & takeout coffee
Do you always buy your drinks on the go? The odd quid here and there adds up to a whole lot of cash by the end of the year.
Ditch bottled water and pick up a reusable bottle instead. Make it one that you can easily put into whatever bag you carry regularly.
For coffee, get a thermos and fill it before you leave the house.
4. Kitchen paper towels
Swap disposable paper towels for reusable cloths that you can wrap around a dispenser roll just like the disposable ones.
Although the initial investment in reusable cloths is more expensive than a pack of disposable paper ones, you will save money in the long run!
Bonus thing to ditch: Nappies
Nappies are not only bad for the environment but constantly buying them is bad for your bank balance too.
If you invest in reusable nappies for your first baby and go on to use the same ones for your subsequent babies, you can save hundreds of pounds.
There are a lot of different reusable nappies out there so do your research and pick up the type of nappies that will work best for you.
5. Convenience food
Pre-chopped, peeled and grated food is convenient but costs so much more than just buying the thing in whole form and cutting it up yourself.
If you are pushed for time when it comes to food prep then consider doing the prep the night before you are having the meal, and putting your pre-prepped food in the fridge ready to go the next evening.
5. Fast fashion
Every time you log on to any social media channel, you will be bombarded with images of new clothes that are the absolute must-have of the moment.
The trouble is that next week there will be another must-have dress of the moment.
Try to find ways to drown out the advertising that you’re confronted with whenever you go online.
One great way to avoid unnecessary clothing spending is to enforce a one-week waiting rule. This is where you think on purchases before buying for one week. Use that time to weigh up whether this is something you want or something you need.
If it isn’t something you need, then do not spend on it!
Instead build a capsule wardrobe of classic pieces that work together to make different outfits.
6. Takeaway food and drink
Whether you spend £25 a week on a Friday night takeaway or £3 a day on a takeout coffee, these are areas where you could save a lot over the course of a year.
Rather than cutting these little luxuries out altogether, try simply cutting back on them.
With takeaways you could limit these to one a month. Try experimenting with new recipes based on your favourite takeaways to make up for it.
Get a reusable coffee cup or flask so that you can get your coffee to go from home every morning.
7. Branded goods
Making small swaps on your weekly grocery shopping list can make a big difference in the long run.
Instead of buying branded milk, canned goods, eggs and cereals, go for the supermarket-own brand.
For products like aspirin, there is no difference between a supermarket own brand aspirin and one that’s made by a big pharmaceutical brand.
I’ve found these swaps to show there’s really not that much difference, but where I do find the supermarket own brand is less superior then I switch back to the branded product.
It’s trial and error but the tiny amounts you can save really adds up over time.
8. Excess food
How much food do you throw away every week?
Meal planning really does work to stop you from forgetting about food at the back of your fridge or wasting ingredients.
Sit down before every weekly super-market shop and discuss your meals for the next seven days.
When it comes to buying certain items, you may have to stretch them over two meals. For example with larger items like a whole cauliflower.
Look for two different recipes that can both us it, so that it doesn’t go to waste.
9. Dozens of cleaning products
The explosion in popularity of Mrs Hinch has led us to stock up on cleaning products in the hope of having a house that sparkles like hers.
The reality is you do not need a ton of cleaning products to keep your home clean.
A multi-purpose cleaner, some vinegar and dish cleaning liquid can do do pretty much everything you need to get done around the house.
These cleaning cloths are brilliant because you can actually use them with just water.
I recommend Zoflora as a way to disinfect and add fresh scent to your home. You can dilute it in a spray bottle and then you have a homemade disinfectant and something that makes the house smell great.
10. Dining out and takeaways
Treating ourselves to a meal out or takeaways really adds up. I think we can easily spend £400 a month without sticking to our plan of cutting right back – that’s nearly £5000 a year.
You don’t have to give them up altogether, but we now limit our takeaways and dining out to once every other month.
It’s much easier now that we have a pizza oven (gifted for my birthday a while back) and have found some amazing fakeaway recipes for our favourite dishes that cost a whole lot less to make at home.
Bonus tip: Dryer sheets
11. Razor blades
Disposable razors are pricey.
Try swapping for an electric razor instead. You’ll save cash and feel virtuous because you’ve saved on sending stuff to landfill.
12. The hair salon
I stopped going to the hairdressers regularly four years ago.
I dye my hair with colour I buy from the supermarket for just £5.80 a box. Compared to the £140+ I was spending at the salon every time I got my hair done, this has been a totally welcome saving.
I trim my husband’s hair for him regularly to save him from having to visit a barber’s.
Whether you want to try cutting your own hair is totally up to you, but if you buy proper hairdressers’ scissors you can give it a good go.
13. Stuff on sale
Ever go to the shops and get caught out by the 2 for 1 deals, or the “must end soon” sale?
Sales are there not to give you a generous amount of money off, but to convince you to buy when you otherwise wouldn’t have bothered.
Remember to make the distinction between stuff that you want and stuff that you need.
If you don’t need it, then don’t buy it. Even if it seems like a total bargain.
